Emergency door lock release



July 25, 1944.

M. c. KORNRUMPF EMERGENCY DOOR LOCK RELEASE Filed Sept. 5, 1942 5 Sheets-Sheet l YINVENTOIQ M622: C. v o/ /zf'am of l QWQ July 25, 1944. M. c. KORNRUMPF EMERGENCY DOOR LOCK RELEASE Filed Sept 5, l 942 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 a a o wl: m i .W w m i w w V4 w xi: 2% w A7 u; E .2 U W, i: V w 2. a a r w 2 2 j 3; .ZIUQIMLV f m M a 7 6 MW w y 1944- M. c. KORNRUMPF I EMERGENCY DOOR LOCK RELEASE Filed Sept; 5, 1942 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR.

July 25, 1944. M c KORNRUMPF EMERGENCY noon LOCK RELEASE 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Sept. 5, 1942 Egg/0.

- IN VEN TOR.

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July 25, 1944,. M. c. KORNRUMPF I EMERGENCY DOOR LOCK RELEASE Filed Sept. 5, 1942 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR.

Patented July 25, 1944 UNITED STATES OFFICE 2,354,33 i p EMERGENCY noon e'eeK' nELEAss Max 0. Kornrurnpf Chicago, 111i Applicationseptembcr 5 1942; Serial No. 451,399 12 Claims. (01. kc-465$ A principal object of the invention is the pro vision of 'a door lock releasing means which is simple in construction, economical to manufam ture, and which may be readily applied to the conventional type of door look. I

An important object of the invention is the provision of a door lock releasing mechanism adapted to be used in an emergency by any person desiring to do so, and which would normally prevent the opening of the door without the use of a key.

A further object of the invention is the provision of means for normally preventing the removal of a door lock latch bolt from its keeper by the turning of the door knob or depression'of the finger latch, but allowing the removal of the said latch bolt by the operation of the usual cyl: inder look by a key.

An important object of the invention is to permit a ready exit from a building in case of emergency but to normally prevent the use of the door as a means of ingress and egress except by authorized persons through the use of a key.

Another important object of the invention is the provision of a frangible emergency door lock releasing means which may be readily and economically replaced after use to prevent the normal use of the door as a means of ingress and .3 1

Figure 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 with the means operative in conjunction with the normally inactive portion of the panic door;

shown in Fig.9;

Figure 13is a slightly enlarged view taken along theline l3--|3 of Fig. 11, with certain parts removed'ori-n section; I

Figure 14 is a view taken along. the'line I l-44 ofFig; 13, looking-in the direction of the arrows; and Y I Figure 15 is a View taken along the line l5-l5 '.of.-Fig. 14, lookin'gin the direction of the arrows.

or'desirable that all or certain exit doors be normally maintained in alocked condition both from the inside and outside. Keys may be possessed,

of'course, only by a limited number of authorized persons, so it'is-necessary that some means he provided whichwill allow the exit doors to be out the use of a key'.

The present invention is shown in Figs. 1 to 6 readily openedduring times of emergency withas applied .to the conventional mortisetype of cylinder lock indicated generally at It] which is housed in the usual lock case ll mounted in the 5 door I2. The lock I0 is normally maintained in an operative or door-locking condition by engagement of spring latch bolt 13 with mortised escutcheon plate and door knob removed and {40 showing details of the emergency release means;

Figure 4 is a plan view of Fig. 3; Figure 5 is a view taken along the line 55 of Fig. 3, looking in the direction of the arrows;

Figure 6 is a view taken along the line 6-6 of 35 door type lock having a thumb piece;

Figure 3 is an enlarged view taken along the line 88 of Fig. 7, looking in the direction of the arrows;

Figure 9 is a front view of a panic door and a modified form of the emergency lock releasing 33;")

strike plate I4, and may bereleased by insertion fof the usual key into the cylinder l5. Rotation of the key inthe cylinder causes retraction of the spring latch bolt [3 into the lock case II in the usual manner. allowing the door to be opened.

Viewing Fig.1, it will be noted that an elonegated backing plate l6;is provided on the face of the door it and is secured thereto by means of screws i9 .(Fig. 2) To the upper extremity of the baking plate I6 immediately above and adjacent an escutc-heon plate I! there is secured by means of screws 18 (Fig.3) a pair of vertical guide mem- I 'bers indicated generally at 2 I.

cured in the lower extremity of the guide mem-.

bers 2| by means of screws 28 and is provided with a groove 21 (Fig. 6)

A similar upper transverse bar 28 is also provided which has an oppositely disposed groove 29 (Fig. 6) cut therein. The bar 28 is secured by any suitable means, such as screws 30, to the upper extremity of a lock plate 3| (Fig. 3), the upper narrow portion 32 of which is disposed between the base portions 22 of the guide members 2|. The uppertransverse bar 28and lock plate 3| areallowed limited vertical movement in the guide members 2|. The lower portion 33 of the lock plate 3| is relatively wider than the upper portion and has cut therein two elongated apertures 34 and 35 through which extend the inner cylinder l and a split spindle38, respectively, upon which the usual inner and outer door knobs 31 are secured. The spindle section to which the inner door knob 31 is secured is rotatable while the other section is stationary. It will be understood, however, that either or both sections of the spindle may be rotatable and that the instant invention is not to be limited to the inner or outer manipulative means for opening the door.

Viewing Fig. 3, there will be noted a circular disk 38 having a square aperture 39 cut in the center thereof for mounting on the-rotatable section of the spindle 36 and to prevent relative movement therebetween. The disk 38 has a key way 4| formed in the outer periphery thereof into which a key 42 formed in the lock plate 3| is adapted to extend. It will be apparent that venient access on a. spring clamp 45 adjacent the glass and may be anchored to the door or look in any convenient manner.

To again reset the lock, when the emergency is over, it is merely necessary to remove the lower transverse bar 25 by taking out the screws 26, and insert a new section of glass 43 into grooves 29 and 21 and properly position and secure the transverse bar 25 within the guide members 2|. In such position the key 42 is again in engagement with the key way 4| of the circular disk 38 and the spindle cannot be turned by the door i knob 31 to retract the latch bolt |3 into the lock as long as the key 42 of the lock plate 3| is maintained in the key way 4| of the circular disk 38, the rotatable section of the spindle 36 cannot be moved relative to the circular disk 38 and thus will be prevented from being rotated by the inner door knob 31 to retract the spring latch bolt I3 and open the door |2.

The latch bolt l3, however, is retractable independently cf the turning of'the inner door knob 3'! and spindle 38 by use of the usual key which is inserted into the cylinder l5 and rotated therein. As earlier mentioned, however, keys are in possession-of only a few authorized persons, and means hadto be provided for allowing the door to be opened in'case of emergency by the mere turning of the inner knob 31. Therefore, means are provided for causing the disengagement of the key 42 from the key way 4| to allow the rotatable section of the spindle '36 to be rotated by the inner knob 3'l'to retract the latch bolt l3 and open the door without the use of a key.

As earlier described, the upper transverse bar 28 and lock plate 3| to which it is secured are allowedlimited vertical movement governed by the length of the elongated apertures 34, 35, suflicientto cause removal of the key '42 from the key way 4!. The bar 28 and lock plate 3| are maintained in raised position by means of a section of glass, or other frangible material, 43, (shown in Figs. 2, 3 and 6) upon which is inscribed suitable instructions for unlocking the door. The glass 43 is disposed within the grooves 21 and 29 and normally supports the plate 3| in its elevated, locking position. Breaking of the glass, however, in times of emergency, will remove such support and the plate 3| and bar 28 will drop of their own weight thus freeing the spindle 36 and disk 38 from the restraint of the key 42 allowing .the door to be opened by rotation of the inner knob 31. To break the glass, a striking object 44 (Fig. 2) is provided for concase M, thus preventing the door l2 from being opened, except through use of a key.

Referring to Figs. 7 and 8 there will be noted an application of the instant invention to the store front type door lock in which a thumb piece 5| is utilized to cause retraction of the latch bolt |3 into the lock case M. In conjunction with this type door look, a handle 52, instead of a door knob, is mounted on the escutcheon plate IT for convenience in opening and closing the door |2. The thumb piece 5| is pivoted at 53 (Fig. 8) and is provided with an extension 54 which extends through an opening 55 in the escutcheon plate I! and backing plate i for engagement with the bolt retractor 56 in the usual manner.

Normally, pivotal movement of the thumb piece 5! in a counter-clockwise direction, viewing Fig. 8, results in vertical movement of bolt retractor 56 and retraction of latch bolt |3 into lock case It. In the instant invention, however, there is provided means for preventing pivotal movement of thumb piece 5| and engagem nt of extension 54 with =bolt retractor 56, thus preventing retraction of the latch bolt l3 and opening of the door |2. This means comprises a movable plate 51 (Fig. '7) which is securely fastened at its upper extremity to the lower transverse bar 25'. At its lower end the plate 51 is offset horizontally and has a vertical engaging portion 58 (Fig. 8) in contact with the upper surface of the extension 54. The transverse bar 25' is slidably mounted in the vertical guide members 2| and is provided with a groove 21 within which is disposed a section of glass, or other frangible material, 43. The opposite edge of the frangible material 43 is disposed in the groove 29 of the upper transverse bar 23 which is removably secured in any suitable manner to the guide members 2|.

The movable plate 51 is provided with an elongated aperture 34' through which extends the cylinder I5. The lower end of the plate 51 is disposed between guides 59 which are secured to the backing plate |6 to prevent lateral displacement of the plate 51 and to insure free sliding movement of the lower transverse bar 25 in the guide members 2|, as will be later described.

When the glass, or other frangible material, 43 is in position, as shown in Figs. 7 and 8, it will be apparent that pressure on the thumb piece 5| will not accomplish vertical movement of the bolt retractor 56 to retract the latch bolt l3 into the lock case M. This for the reason that the vertical lower extremity 58 of the movable plate 51 is in engagement with the upper surface of the thumb piece extension 54 and the plate 5'! is restrained from vertical movement by the section of glass 43. Therefore, the door I2 is main tained in a locked condition at all times to prevent ingress and egress except by authorized persons through'the use of a key. The cylinder lock is, of course, operative to cause retraction of the be readily Opened by any person by breaking the glass 43, which will free the movable plate fromany restraint and allow it to be moved up-' wardly by pressure on the thumb piece 5!. The

extension 54 of the thumb piece is thus allowed to' engage the bolt retractor 56 and cause retraction of the latch bolt l3, allowing the door IZtobe opened. When the emergency is over, the above described emergency lock releasing means may again be set to maintain the door l2 in a locked condition by merely removing the screws, or other suitable fastening means, 26 which will allow-the upper transverse bar 28' to be removed from the guide members 2!. A new section or glass, or other frangible material, is then placed in the groove 2? of the lower transverse bar and the upper bar re-inserted in the guide members and the screws tightened. In the assembled relation oi. the parts, as shown in Figs.- 7 and 8, pivotal movement of the thumb piece 5! is restrained from actuating the bolt retractor 56 and thus opening of the door I2 is prevented, except through use of a'key.

Figures 9 to 15, inclusive, illustrate an appli-' cation of the lock releasing means to the panic door type of exit which comprises a normally active door 6| and a normally inactive door 62. The active door 6| may be used in the normal manner as a means of ingress and egress by any person possessing a key, but the inactive door is normally maintained in a locked condition and may be opened through use of a key only when it is desirable that the whole door opening be used as a means of exit, or without a key' during times of emergency, as will be presently explained.

Securely fastened to the inactive door 62 is a plate 63 upon which is mounted a conventional cylinder rim dead-latch lock indicated generally at 54. To the usual retractable bolt of the lock 64 there has been added an extension '55 (Fig. 13) to which a vertical connecting member 66 is secured. The member 55 is provided with an elonga ed slot 5'! within which is disposed a screw 53 threaded into a lock member 69 (Fig. From the above construction it will be apparent that turning of a knob Hi will cause retraction of the member 65 and through the vertical mem ber 66 and screw 63 the lock member 63 will be moved to the right, viewing Fig. 13. 'I'he free end of the lock member 69 extends into a notch H formed in a flat portion 12 of a vertically movable release rod 1 3. The rod 13 is normally in the door locking position of Fig. 10 but is movable vertically as will presently be explained to disengage its lower extremity 14 from a hole in the flooring adjacent the door and at its upper extremity to cause release of the usual pivoted retainer member 75 from a stop 76. The means for elevat ng the rod 73 consists of a lever 11 pivoted on a bracket 78 fixed to the inactive door 52. One end of the lever 'll' is bifurcated for engagement with a collar '59 securely fastened to he rod 13. Pivotal movement of the lever 11 in a c ockwise direction, viewing Fig. 10, will cause elevation of the release rod 13, freeing the and releasing the usual restraining Means are provided for normally preventing opening of the inactive door 62 by operation of the lever 11 except in case of emergency. The door 62 may be opened, however, by use of a key, which allows the knob 10 to be turned to retract the lock member 69. As earlier mentioned the panic door type of exit comprises an active door and an inactive door. The active door may be opened through use of a key in the normal manner independently of the inactive door but'when it is desired that the whole exit be used, opening of the inactive door will cause the active door to open simultaneously.

Mounted on the plate 63 adjacent the lock 64 is a retainer member indicated generally at 8| (Fig. 11) and having a pair of vertical guide members 2! within which are disposed lower and upper cross bars 82 and 83, respectively. The lower cross bar 82 has a horizontal groove '84 (Fig. 14) cut therein within which is disposed the lock member 69. Both cross bars 82 and 83 have a cutout portion 85 (Figs. 11 and 13), within which is disposed for vertical sliding movement the flat portion 12 of the rod 13. Retraction of the lock member 69 to the right, viewing Fig. 13, by turning of the knob 10 of the lock 64, after unlocking by a key, will free the rod I3 from the lock member 69 and allow the rod 13 to be moved vertically by the lever 11 independently of the lock member 69 and the cross bars 82 and .83 to allow simultaneous opening of both exit doors.

As earlier mentioned, the door 62 cannot be opened without the'use of a key, except in case of emergency. The means for normally maintaining the door 62 in a locked condition except in case of emergency comprises a frangible element 43 which is fitted into grooves 86 (Fig. 14) formed in the cross bars 82 and 83. The upper cross bar 83 is stationarily maintained with respect-to the retainer member 8| by means of a pin 8'! whichextends through the guide members 2| and upper cross bar 83 and has a seal 88 attached to one end thereof. An inverted hexagon headless screw 89 is inserted into the upper cross bar 83 for engagement with the pin 8'! (Fig, 14) to prevent its removal by an unauthorized person. As long as the glass or frangible element 43 remains unbroken and the lock member 69 is disposed in the notch H, pressure on the lever 11 will not result in vertical movement of the rod 13 to open the door 62. In case of emergency, however, the glass or other frangible element 453 is adapt-ed to be broken and no resistance is thereafter offered to the elevation of the rod 13 and cross bar 82 when the lever i1 is depressed. Vertical movement of the rod 13 and cross bar 82 is limited by the length of the slot 61. and is sufiicient to cause release of the lower extremity 14 from the hole in the flooring and release of the retainer member 15 from the stop 16.

A curved metal piece 9| is provided which is pivoted in any suitable manner to the upper surface of lower cross bar 82 and is adapted. when maintained in upright position by the unbroken glass or frangible material 43, to abut against the lower angular surface of the upper cross bar 83 so that if unusual pressure is put upon the lever I1, the glass or frangible material 43 will not be broken. In other words, the pressure is absorbed by the upper cross bar 83, rather than by the frangible material 43.

To prevent tampering with the emergency l ck releasing mechanism a COW?! 52 is provided be tween the lock 64' and retainer-member. 8! to conceal the operating bolt members.

To recondition the lock releasing mechanism for future operation after the emergency is over, it is merely necessary to break the seal 83, loosen the special screw 89 with a special screw driver provided for thatpurpose and remove the pin 81. Removalof the pin-81 allows the upper cross bar 83 to be withdrawn from the retainer member 8| to allow a new glass or frangible material 43 to be placed within the guide members 2|. Thereafter the upper cross bar 83 is replaced in the holder, the pin 81 reinserted, the special screw 89 tightenedand the seal 88 replaced. The panic door 62 cannot thereafter be opened except by use of a key possessed by a comparatively few authorized persons, or except incase of emergency, as just described.

It is thought that the invention and its attendant advantages will be understood from the foregoing description, and it will be apparent that various changes may be made in the form, con-- struction and arrangement of the parts without departing from the spirit and scope of the in vention or sacrificing all of its material advantages, the form hereinbefore described and il1ustrated in the drawings being merely a preferred embodiment thereof.

I claim:

1. A door lock, comprising a bolt-operating spindle, a movable lock plate, means'forming a part of said look plate for preventing operation of said spindle, a breakable support member normally maintaining said preventing means in effective position and adapted, when broken, to re lease said lock plate and said spindle for operation to open the door.

l 2. In a door lock, a slidable bar having a retainer member secured to one end thereof, frangible means replaceably mounted in said retainer member, and means formed on the opposite end of said slidable bar for normally preventing the opening of a door except by use of a key.

3. In a door' lock, a lock case, a latch bolt reoiprocably mounted therein, a spindle comprising stationary and rotatable sections passing transversely through said door, inner and outer door knobs secured to the rotatable and stationary sections of the spindle, a disk mounted on the rotatable section of said spindle and having a key way formed in the outer periphery thereof a lock plate having a plurality of apertures therein, a key formed on said lock plate adapted for engagement with said key way to prevent operation of the rotatable section of said spindle, and breakable means for causing releaseof said key from said key way to allow operation of said rotatable spindle and retraction of aid latch bolt.

4. A door lock releasing means comprising a retractable latch bolt, means for retracting said latch bolt, a thumb piece for operating said retracting means, and means including a frangible element for blocking manipulation of said thumb piece, said frangible element being adapted when broken to release said thumb piece whereby it is rendered manipulative to operate said retracting means.

5. A door lock releasing means comprising a lock case, a bolt slidably mounted therein, a pivoted thumb piece for causing retraction of the bolt into the lock case, means for releasably dogging said thumb piece-to'prevent operation thereof, the said dogging means including a frangible element adapted to be broken to release said thumb piece whereby it may be moved to retract said bolt to open the door.

6-. In a door look, a movable member having a support secured to the upper end thereof and means formed integrally therewith at the lower end for engagement with a thumb piece, and a frangible element disposed within said support to stationarily maintain the said movable member in engagement with said thumb piece to prevent movement thereof, while allowing the door to be opened by use of a key.

'7. In a door lock, a retractable latch bolt, keyoperated means for retracting said latch bolt, an additional latch bolt retractor, a thumb piece for operating said additional retractor, a movable plate normally maintaining said thumb piece in inoperative position, and a breakable element normally blocking movement of said movable plate.

8; In a door look, a movable latch member, means for causing movement of said latch member to open the door, a frangible element normally blocking operation of said last named means and adapted to be broken to release said latch member for movement.

9. A door lock releasing means comprising a movable release rod, manipulative means for causing movement of, said release rod to open the door, a slidable lock member normally in engagement with said release rod, a frangible element releasably blocking vertical movement of said release rod and said lock member and adapted to be broken to release the release rod and lock member for vertical movement.

10. An emergency release for door locks having in combination, a release rod for opening said door, manipulative means for operating said release rod, a slidable lock member for engagement with said release rod, means for causing lateral sliding movement of said lock member out of engagement with said release rod to permit movement of the latter, a frangible element for preventing movement of said release rod while said lock member is in engagement therewith adapted to be broken to allow movement of the release rod while the lock member is in engagement therewith.

11. In a door lock releasing means, a releasable latch bolt for normally maintaining the door in a closed condition, a laterally slidable lock member adapted for engagement with said latch bolt, a frangible element for normally preventing movement of said latch bolt while said slidable lock member is in engagement therewith, means for moving said slidable lock member laterally out of engagement with said latch bolt to permit movement thereof, the said frangible element being adapted to be broken to permit movement of said latch bolt to open the door, and means for relieving pressure from said frangible element if it is attempted to move said latch bolt while said frangible element is unbroken and said slidable local; member is in engagement with said latch 12. A door lock releasing means comprising a vertically movable latch bolt, manipulative means for causing movement of said latch bolt, a movable lock member in engagement with said latch bolt, means for causing lateral sliding movement of said lock member out of engagement with said latch bolt, frangible means for preventing movement of said latch bolt, and means for relieving said frangible element of stress if said manipula tive means is attempted to be operated while said frangible element is unbroken.

M C. KORNRUMPF. 

